How does lbs stand for pounds

As for the word ounce, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica , it originates from the Latin word uncia , which was the name for both a Roman unit of weight and length. According to The Week , uncia was borrowed by the Anglo-Norman French as "ounce" and then lent to their neighbors in England. The abbreviation, though, came from Medieval Italian, who had taken the Latin word uncia and turned it into onza , introducing the "z" into the word. It's unclear exactly why the "z" shows up in English abbreviations, but it's clear that it came from Medieval Italian and then stuck around.

This article originally appeared on Southern Living by Melissa Locker. By Southern Living June 13, Save Pin More. The primary meaning of libra was balance or scales as in the astrological sign , but it also stood for the ancient Roman unit of measure libra pondo , meaning "a pound by weight.

The Italian lira also used that symbol with two lines through it , the word "lira" itself being a shortened version of libra. The word came into English from Anglo-Norman French, where it was unce or ounce , but the abbreviation was borrowed from Medieval Italian, where the word was onza. These days the Italian word is oncia , and the area once covered by the Roman Empire has long since switched to the metric system.

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